Irse al otro barrio
To go to the other neighbourhood.
to pass away; **to pass away** (more neutral); **to kick the bucket** (informal); **to pop one's clogs** (British informal); **to be gone**; **to depart this life**
Irse al otro barrio means to die, to pass away, to depart this life, or to kick the bucket.
El pobre se fue al otro barrio.
The poor man passed away.
Si sigues conduciendo así, te vas al otro barrio.
If you keep driving like that, you'll end up dead.
El ordenador ya se fue al otro barrio.
That computer is completely dead.
Casi me voy al otro barrio del susto.
That fright nearly killed me.
It is a humorous or colloquial euphemism for death.
- referring informally to someone's death
- making a dark joke
- speaking about fictional characters
- softening the directness of the verb morir
- talking humorously about machines or objects that have stopped working forever
The metaphor imagines death as moving to another neighbourhood, one from which nobody returns.
The image reflects a long tradition in many cultures of speaking about death indirectly through metaphors involving journeys or changes of residence.
The expression became especially popular during the twentieth century as a humorous euphemism.
The expression is affectionate rather than solemn.
It is generally not appropriate in situations of recent bereavement or formal condolences.
Instead, it is used among friends or in humorous contexts where the speaker wishes to avoid the bluntness of morir.
It can also be applied jokingly to objects:
Mi móvil se fue al otro barrio.
meaning that it is completely broken.
Spanish has many euphemisms for death, reflecting different levels of formality:
- Irse al otro barrio → to kick the bucket (colloquial).
- Estirar la pata → to kick the bucket (very informal).
- Pasar a mejor vida → to pass away (respectful).
- Fallecer → to pass away (formal).
Among them, irse al otro barrio is one of the most recognisable colloquial expressions because it humorously presents death as nothing more than moving to a different neighbourhood.
Do not translate the expression literally.
English speakers would never say:
He went to the other neighbourhood.
Instead, use expressions such as:
- He passed away.
- He kicked the bucket. (humorous)
- It's dead. (for machines)
- He nearly died.
Choose the translation according to the seriousness of the context.
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